Archives from January 2015

Just over 60 years ago, in June 1953, the ‘Daily Express’ newspaper produced a compilation of six daily editions, as a souvenir of what they described as ‘The Story of the Century’ - the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth 2nd… But between the cheery reports of pomp and parties, celebration and crowds, there appeared a darker, more tragic story…

Join us this February half term and work with professional artists specialising in a range of different art-forms. Be inspired by our gallery exhibitions ‘Richmond Views’ and ‘Rudi Patterson: Visions of my Island in the Sun’.

To mark the launch of the second phase of Village Planning, local ‘question-time’ style events will be occurring in Richmond, East Twickenham and St Margarets over the next few months. These events will enable residents to share local issues with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Members. During the Village Planning ‘question-time’ event residents will be able to make suggestions for improvements and hold leading members of the Council to account.

Are you a parent/grandparent? Would you like to help local families? If you can spare a few hours a week to help families with children under 5, local charity Home-Start Richmond can train you to support those having a difficult time. We welcome people from all backgrounds and although languages are not necessarily needed for this role, we would love to hear from anyone who is fluent in English and another language such as Urdu, Farsi, Polish or Russian.

The petition against the ongoing anti-abortion protest outside the BPAS clinic in East Twickenham gained nearly 400 local signatures and was submitted to Richmond Council last November. It was well received, across all parties, and the Council committed to do all it could within its powers to limit the impact of the protests on the lives of local residents. The resident group that runs Reclaim Rosslyn Road has also taken the case to local MP, Vince Cable. He has since written to the Home Secretary because local council and police powers are limited and cannot prevent the current disruption.

Ellen Goldsmith, Physiotherapist at the St Margarets Clinic has entered the “Toughest Footrace on Earth”, The Marathon Des Sables, a 250km, self-sufficient run across the Sahara, 3-13 April 2015. She will be alongside 1,500 other competitors, including the “greatest living explorer” Sir Ranulph Fiennes and raising money for the Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Exactly 750 years ago to this week, on the 20th January 1265, elected representatives from all over the country gathered together for the first time to speak on behalf of their communities and some of the people living within them. It was an early demonstration of how democracy can rise over the absolute power of the monarchy and it laid the foundations of what is now called Parliament.